Friday, March 29, 2024

NDC is not a Bemba tribal grouping aimed at destabilising PF- Eric Chanda

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Erick Chanda arriving at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre for the debate
Erick Chanda

THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed accusations that it was a Bemba tribal grouping aimed at destabilising the ruling Patriotic Front.

The party’s top leadership has argued that the party’s central committee was composed of non-Bembas from all provinces.

Chief Chikwanda of Mpika recently described the NDC as a mere club of jokers which would not hoodwink Bemba-speaking people into joining.

This followed rumours that the party planned to have its entire leadership composed of Bembas and give the tribe a sense of belonging.

But NDC spokesperson, Eric Chanda said that contrary to the allegations, the party had cut across all tribes with regards to its composition.

Mr Chanda claimed that the NDC central committee was composed of 60 members drawn from all the provinces of Zambia.

He pointed out that some committee members were Tongas, easterners and Lozi-speaking among others. He said there was no way the party could be composed of Bembas only.

“I don’t remember when Comrade Menyanzulo, Dr Mbulo, Professor Atanga the Tonga bull, were Bemba. Our central committee is made up of 60 people and there is no way all these can be Bembas. That is not true,” Mr Chanda said.

Meanwhile, Mr Chanda, said he would not engage into any confrontation with Chief Chikwanda because the NDC respects chiefs. He advised the traditional leader not to be used to settle political scores and injure others.

He however said that NDC had forgiven Chief Chikwanda, but warned that things would have been different had it been an ordinary person.

The NDC was formed by former PF Chimwemwe Member of Parliament and Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenga after he lost the parliamentary seat in 2016 to an independent.

It also has expelled PF member and Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili, who while contesting his expulsion in court, has been touted as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2021 presidential elections.

28 COMMENTS

  1. Tribalism in Zambia is real and the worst culprit are the PF, just look at Edgar Lungu’s appointments to key positions

    • You’re right. Pf has president from eastern. Veep from eastern. Defence from East. Finance from East. The list is endless all from the eastern. And the easterners said only an easterner should lead pf.

  2. I doubt Chief Chikwanda uttered such tribal remarks. If he did, forget about him he has one vote to give.

  3. Oval head instead of joking around, why not just list the names of pf ministers to prove him wrong. I don’t understand why zambians like beating about the bush.

  4. The chief is probably suffering from dementia. The other possibility could be that he was given a brown envelope.

    • You mean a mental disorder severely and repeatedly marked by memory failures and clear inability to think properly? I know Bwalya is Micheal Chilufya Sata’s biological nephew. Could this be disease running through the DNA streams? Recall the later days of 2014 before Zambia’s Independence Anniversary. This condition really manifested in one MICHEAL “CHARLES MHANGO” CHILUFYA SATA.

  5. But it’s not a secret that Kambwili’s supporters are openly canvassing along tribal lines with the hope that bembas will vote for him. I’ve been approached along such lines.

    • If that is true then such persons do not learn how destructive this can be. UPND has learnt a big lessons; they dropped Sejani [former MP for Mapatizya formula] the one who uttered the lethal and fatal words during HH ascending to Party Presidency. Munkombwe recently was apologetic at State House; NDC in-coming President the Mbwili [Leopard] came to terms by physically going to Tonga land and apologizing for his misguided utterances then, which were spoken on behalf of Lungu’s Cabinet and PF Party – CK was the Spokesperson and no-one in PF condemned him then.

  6. Cont…but I have simply said I speak bemba but technically I am not bemba but a mixture of Ushi. Luunda and Lunda and in any case I know Kambwili and Musenge very well too well to be cheated by them. Lungu is not perfect but compared to these clowns he’s like a healthy environment compared to a cholera ravaged township.

  7. “He however said that NDC had forgiven Chief Chikwanda, but warned that things would have been different had it been an ordinary person.”

    The police should investigate this man. That is some nonsensical tone.

    • No need for such waste, Fire Tenders, cause of now endemic of Cholera, Unmatched income vs expenditure, homosexuality, prostitution, church-rapists, free-masonry, over-invoicing, youth unemployment, cancerous bribes in Government, Electoral Frauds Vs Electoral Reforms, Teachers sleeping with girl children, Child Marriages, Unplanned Settlements, Failed E-Vouchers + Agro Policies, Hemorrhagic Natural Resource Earnings from minerals [Copper, Gold, cobalt, Uranium], mukula, land allocations and acquisitions by chinese, sub-standard and diseased imports, ZIALE failures, access to University/Colleges etc, these should be were to exert our energies and resources

  8. ” Chief Chikwanda of Mpika recently described the NDC as a mere club of jokers which would not hoodwink Bemba-speaking people into joining. ”

    The chief has seen something that a lot of people have also noticed. Just like UPND has tribal undertones, this one has too. If we can label HH’s party tribal, then this one can too. No favoritism here.

  9. All that is at play here is “tufilile munsenga”. Kambwili want to destroy the chances of PF. He is ready to assist UPND form govt in 2021. People of correct thinking do not operate like that. Correct thinking people simply stay back and wait for the right time to go back to their party but Kambwili is not such a person. He is is like that women in the bible who wanted the living baby to be split for the sake of settling her jealousy. Posterity will judge Kambwili harshly. I am telling you 10 years down the line when UPND is in Power, you will cry. You will regret Iam telling you Kambwili. There will be no Party in Zambia to remove the UPND once they into into Power due to the nature of their region’s lack of flexibility based on issues but they base their choice on the region. Their…

    • I do not seem to agree with this notion, Zambia is bigger than these so called Political Clubs or Parties.
      1. MMD preached so much about the WAR and DEPORTATIONS Sata will invoke once elected today none of the things they emphatically talked about has ever happened.
      2. In fact PF under Sata was not only TRIBAL but NEPOTISTIC he appointed to key portfolios his kin and kirth – this is notoriously evident. This is partly the latent problem in PF today which has made it difficult for Lungu to settle in oofice. UPND has been taking advantage of this.
      3. The very MMD which was labelled wholesomely corrupt is the bedfellow of the PF in Government; what seems to be evident is that PF and MMD are now one and the same; SATA simply hated RB period.
      What Zambians must now pre-occupy themselves…

    • Very correct, if upnd forms government, they will be difficult to remove not because they will perform well but I foresee them being mean in every way one can think of. They will behave Tonga with much impunity to the disgust of many. Someone record my for that time if it ever comes.

    • Bushe whats wrong in assisting UPND and/or PF in such a fashion, or name it strategy. PF if its politically injurious to them change your grassroots mobilization methods. Wooing people like Frankless Bwalya-Chiyabi, Miless Sampa and Anto-Nyoo Mwanza [Political Heavy-Weights] may surely not help defuse the political prowess and abilities of the MBWILIs of NDC. If you are doubting seek confidential and honest counsel from KK and RB, they have a good experience on how political is lost. Free advice

  10. If it’s really a tribal grouping then it won’t go any where because Zambia is bigger than my tribe bemba. For me I don’t like these men because when they were enjoying jobs from the mines and government contracts they never spoke for the people. Now why do they want to come out like they care so much about Zambians. They can go to hell.

    • I keep repeating this :- WHEN ZAMBIANS ARE GEARED TO REMOVE A PARTICULAR REGIME, tribal rantings may not be a factor, PF under Micheal Sata was overtly tribal but it managed to unseat RB’s MMD, with only cosmetic [Wynter, Inonge, Simaata, Simusa, and the like] tribal balancing. The real guys were Chikwanda, GBM, Sampa, Chalikosa, Mumba-Kapumpa, Chella, Fredson Yamba, Nkandu Luo, Chief Chewe, Chief Luchembe, Chief Chibesakunda, Bishop Tresphor Mpundu, Kasase-Bota, Prof. Munkonge, Dr. Kasonde, Prof. Wilombe, Mulenga Sata, Dr. Kaseba, and many like these

  11. They used to say same about that it was a bemba party. Intact there was no of in eastern till coming of ECL. They all voted for RB

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